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Multi vitamins are one of the most popular health and fitness supplements around. Even people who are not really into their fitness tend to purchase these supplements. A lot of my friends take a daily multi vitamin but would never consider purchasing protein shakes. I myself started purchasing multi vitamins when I moved out of my parent’s house to make sure I was getting the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of each of the thirteen vitamins. I used to pop a multi vitamin in my mouth each morning and never thought twice. However, I recently wrote some articles on each of the vitamins and this made me want to take another look at multi vitamins.
As I mentioned above a lot of people purchase multi vitamins because they want to make sure they are getting the recommended amount of each type. In principal this is fine. All the vitamins help the body perform essential functions and a deficiency can lead to a number of adverse side effects. However, if you look a little deeper into the marketing claims made by multi vitamin supplment companies problems start to arise. Below I will be discussing five of my biggest multi vitamin concerns.
1) MULTI VITAMINS INDIRECTLY PROMOTE POOR DIETARY CHOICES:- A lot of multi vitamins state that you need to take them because modern diets are rich in highly processed foods that do not contain adequate vitamins. A multi vitamin will therefore allow you to correct the balance and top up on these missing vitamins. So in other words these supplements are providing an excuse for poor dietary choices. I know from experience that many people use multi vitamins as a reason to avoid fruits and vegetables and eat less healthy foods. I have heard a numerous people say things along the lines of; “I don’t really like fruits and vegetables but it’s OK because I take multi vitamins”. Whilst a poor diet will probably benefit from multi vitamin supplementation I do not think the right message is being sent out. Instead of seeing multi vitamins as a magic pill for people who make poor dietary choices they need to be encouraged to eat healthier, vitamin rich foods.
2) MULTI VITAMINS ENCOURAGE OVERDOSING:- A lot of people read about the benefits of multi vitamins and get the idea in their head that the more they take the healthier they will be. This is because many multi vitamin supplements fail to provide adequate warning about the possible consequences of overdosing. Overdosing on water soluble vitamins is generally not a huge problem as the body excretes any it does not need (although it can lead to some unpleasant side effects such as headaches). However, overdosing on fat soluble vitamins can lead to much more serious complications. The body stores any excess fat soluble vitamins in the liver and fatty tissues for later use. If these stores become too big they reach toxic levels which causes a number of problems. Getting too much vitamin A can weaken your bones and stunt your growth. Overdosing on vitamin D can lead to calcium deposits which cause significant damage to your body’s organs. Consuming too much vitamin K can lead to your liver and red blood cells becoming damaged. Whilst this problem is not specific to multi vitamins (you can overdose on vitamins through your diet) they are more concentrated than food sources and therefore make overdosing easier. You do not hear of many people eating 10 apples a day to try and be healthier but most people think nothing of popping a few extra multi vitamins.
3) MULTI VITAMINS MAKE YOU MISS OUT ON OTHER IMPORTANT NUTRIENTS:- Taking multi vitamin tablets often means that you miss out on other important nutrients. For example if you take a multi vitamin and skimp on the fruits and vegetables you will be missing out on a lot of dietary fibre. If you consume a multi vitamin because you do not like nuts then you will be missing out on a lot of omega 3 fatty acids which are also required for good health. Vitamins are not the only thing you need for good health and a lot of people that take multi vitamins forget this.
4) MULTI VITAMINS CAN BE UNBALANCED:- When I started writing about vitamins one of the first things I did was look at my current multi vitamin supplement to see what it contained. I assumed it would contain 100% of the RDA for each of the thirteen vitamins. However, I was quite surprised to see that it was very unbalanced. It contained 100% of the recommended allowance for vitamin A but a huge 1000% of the RDA for vitamin B12. Whilst this is not a huge problem as B12 is water soluble (and therefore very difficult to overdose on) the same supplement also contained 200% of the RDA for vitamin D which could lead to dangerous calcium deposits. Furthermore, this is just one supplement. Other supplements contain completely different concentrations of the various vitamins meaning they could potentially contain toxic levels of fat soluble vitamins.
5) MULTI VITAMINS DO NOT TAKE INTO ACCOUNT YOUR CURRENT DIET:- On top of the fact that different multi vitamin tablets contain different concentrations of each vitamin, most people do not think about their current diet when taking these supplements. Your current diet may contain the RDA for certain vitamins and be lacking in others. If you take a multi vitamin to fill these gaps you will also be overdosing on the vitamins for which your diet contains adequate levels. People eat so many different foods and I don’t think one tablet can be relied upon to fill the various gaps in different people’s diets.
6) MULTI VITAMINS CAN BE TOXIC:- Many multi vitamins are synthetic which means they are laboratory simulations of natural vitamins. These synthetic vitamins often contain a number of toxic by-products which can be damaging to your health. This means that not only do multi vitamins encourage you to take potentially toxic doses but in a lot of cases they contain toxic ingredients too.
7) MULTI VITAMINS CANNOT BE ABSORBED AS EASILY:- Your body is designed to absorb vitamins in their natural form and often struggles to absorb synthetic versions. Therefore, even if you are getting the RDA of the various vitamins through supplements you are unlikely to be getting the full benefits that natural alternatives would provide.
Since I wrote my original articles on vitamins I have not touched my multi vitamin supplement. The main reason for this is that I did not know how damaging overdosing on certain vitamins could be. After doing my research and finding this out I did not want to take the risk. People may have a genuine reason for being deficient in certain vitamins. For example, certain medicines can interfere with the absorption of vitamin K. In these instances supplementation for that specific vitamin may be required. However, I do not think ‘one size fits all’ multi vitamins are the answer. Everyone eats differently and therefore has different vitamin requirements. My advice is to look at your current diet and then try to address the vitamin deficiencies by adding some additional foods. For example, if you are lacking in vitamin A try and add some liver, milk, carrots or spinach to your diet. Not only will you be topping up on vitamin A but you will be getting some dietary fibre and other important nutrients too. If there is a genuine reason that you cannot get the RDA of certain vitamins from the foods you eat then get some supplements that provide you with just those vitamins.
In my opinion you should not try and substitute real, whole foods with synthetic tablets. You can get adequate amounts of each of the thirteen vitamins by eating a healthy, well balanced diet and getting some sunlight each day (for vitamin D). There will be exceptions where your require a supplement for a specific vitamin but overall diet should be the focus when getting your RDA of the thirteen vitamins.
What’s your opinion on multi vitamins? Do you currently take them? Has this article made you rethink your approach? Do you have any counter arguments that promote multi vitamins? Are there any other adverse effects I have missed?
About Tom
All the issues you describe are perfectly valid, but are best summed up as “user error”, I have o disagree with labeling them as adverse effects of multivitamins. Multivitamins have their place, and I’m not aware of any real downside to taking them. They’re also a very poor replacement for real food.
All the issue you mention are not due to the multivitamins, they’re due to people failing to eat correctly and using the pills as an excuse.
Posed a different way (in my opinion):
If you eat well what effect will adding reasonable doses of vitamins to this have:
- I would argue the effect is either nil, or positive here.
If you eat poorly what effect will adding reasonable doses of vitamins to this have:
- I’d argue the same as above, it will probably help to some small degree, it won’t hurt.
Wow, I wasn’t aware of this. Tom you have a very well written and interesting blog here. I take multivitamins every day and so does everyone in my whole family. I didn’t know that there are negative aspects of taking vitamins. Thank you so much for sharing this information!
Chris – I partially agree with you. The problem is that some multi-vitamins do not contain reasonable doses of vitamins. Some of the dosages are way over the RDA for that particular vitamin and if you consistently consume above the RDA for fat soluble vitamins this can lead to the stores becoming toxic. This can in the worst cases have serious health implications.
I agree that some of the issues are related to “user error” but I also think that this “user error” is encouraged by the way multi vitamin companies market their products. I have never seen any multi vitamin supplement draw attention to the potentially adverse affects of overdosing or the fact that their tablets contain different doses of different vitamins.
Hi Cascia – I too wasn’t aware of any potentially negative effects of multi vitamins until I did my research on each of the thirteen vitamins. However once I learned about the body storing fat soluble vitamins I made the connection and decided to write this article. Thanks for your comments.
Hey Tom
I think you’ve made some valid points. There is definitely no substitute for healthy food!
I have a couple of reasons when I do take them.
a) I’m on a calorie controlled weight loss regime. So I just assume that even though I’m eating very healthy, perhaps I’m not eating enough calories to cover the whole spectrum. So the supplement makes me feel secure and is usually recommended when trying to lose weight?
b) I wouldnt know how calculate how much RDA’s I’m actually getting in the food I eat. That’s gotta be worse than trying to count calories?? lol So therefore I take a MV to make sure particularly in the winter as I think my immune system needs the back-up. Obviously this didnt even work over xmas I was sick!! lol
I defo. wouldnt take one instead of a fruit or veg, cos I love my veggies :)
I have got mixed feelings about the whole supplement thing as I think, long term, your immune system can get too used to the back up. So I do usually take a break of a few months in the summer, if I’m not on a weight loss.
I think if you’re eating well and healthily, feeling well, your skin is clear, your eyes are bright, your nails and hair are growing, then you’re probably eating the right foods. If not, then perhaps you need to supplement? Fair comment?
Tusc :D
I couldn’t agree more. Multivitamins rob you of much need portions or allowances of many vitamins and minerals.
Everyone’s body is different and uses/needs a different amount.
What makes me laugh is that individuals take these supplements thinking it will benefit or enrich their body with those needed nutrients, when in reality your excreting most of them.
Great thoughts.
Yes, fair comments Tusc – I suppose if you are restricting your calories then you may need supplementation. However, I would still recommend you supplement just the vitamins that you are not getting in your diet. If you don’t know how to calculate the vitamins in your foods try http://caloriecount.about.com/. You can search for most foods on it. You don’t have to meticulously calculate every mg of each vitamin you are getting. Just use this site to get a general idea of which ones you need to top up on.
I think it’s a god thing to take a break from supplements every so often. I do the same when I am taking protein, creatine etc. But I would strongly recommend you reconsider the multi-vitamins.
I hear ya Strong One – Natural is definitely the route to go when it comes to vitamin consumption and overdosing doesn’t do anyone any favours. You can’t compensate for poor food choices with supplements.
Vitamins are an insurance policy, not substitution for actually knowing how to drive.
I used to take Centrium Complete – which has the recommended RDA. But it makes me a little nervous since I feel that it does not account for my food intake like you said in your post. So I would take Centrium every other day or less.
Since discovering the Vitfusion gummy vitamins, I take them more frequently. The reason is that the Vitafusion is about 50% of the RDA (exception is is 100% folic acid and vitamin bs). So I do not worry too much about overdosing. And the fact that it taste like candy really helps me to remember to take them.
Hi Asithi – I never used to worry about overdosing on vitamins. I used to pop a multi-vitamin every morning and never think twice but since I found out about the potential complications it got me worried. I looked at my existing diet and realised that I was getting a lot of some vitamins from my food alone. I therefore decided that it would be better to stop taking multi-vitamins and tailor my existing diet to incorporate all the vitamins where possible. I think your approach is a sensible one but I would prefer to stop taking them completely.
I am currently taking a nutrition class and it is my understanding that the only vitamin that poses a very real threat of a true overdose is vitamin K. This would only pose a problem if one were taking some sort of a blood thinner. Unlike other vitamins, vitamin K is not stored in the liver and it would be very difficult to reach levels that would be considered toxic.
I know in the US, the diet is generally not well balanced and most people are in no real danger of meeting their RDA yet alone exceeding it. In these cases, a multi-vitamin could contribute greatly to improved immune function and overall wellness.
I agree with the fact that a well balanced diet should do the trick, and it is important to analyze which vitamins are more difficult for you to reach your RDA, be it due to food aversions or allergies. It is important to remember that these are supplements – not replacements.
Hi Mandy – I know it is difficult to overdose on vitamins to toxic levels. If you take one multi vitamin each day you will probably be OK. However, some people will take more than one a day because they think it will give them an added health benefit. This is when the threat of overdosing becomes a very real possibility.
I respect your research and I’m sure on some grounds you may be correct but I have to argue some points. Although, seeing as I did not research this topic, I am just giving my personal experience.
In my POV, multivitamins may indirectly promote bad eating habits, but in the end, it’s not the vitamin that that should take the blame for this, people should. We all choose what we eat. The multivitamin in my experience helps me to remember to eat healthy. True, it can be crutch for those who don’t wish to eat healthy but most people who chose to eat unhealthy won’t think twice about taking a multivitamin in the first place. Until I decided to take control of my weight problem, I hadn’t even thought of taking any.
When most people do decide to take them, they have decided to go on a diet and unfortunately most diets are “he said, she said” and /or“what worked for me”. Being as most people don’t really know how to eat properly, most diet and weight loss fads are unhealthy and rob the body of nutrients needed for the average day. In my experience, if you’re on a diet you’re not doing it right. Eating right should be a daily tradition, thus making the “diet” obsolete. We all make bad choices everyday. Eating becomes a convenience; ie. what is convenient for the time we have. Fast food restaurants are booming because the average rat race employee. Taking a multivitamin can help us balance the bad intake with the good intake. For those people I believe a multivitamin is a must.
I take Centrum Ultra Woman’s multivitamin. I reviewed the supplement facts chart and I only get 70% of my DV of vitamin A and 100% of my B12. The bottle also states that taking too much vitamin A can cause side effects and that only one dose (one pill) per day is recommended. Obviously the brand I take is aware of the affects certain vitamins can have on the body and, unlike the brand you stated in your blog, has taken the correct route in providing a more reasonable amount of the vitamin. So, it’s not just about taking a multivitamin, it’s about who your supplier is. You should always look at the supplement facts. You shouldn’t be taking anything with 1000% of any vitamin. Plus, we are not taking into account all the minerals we need as well that the pills supply us with. So, a multivitamin is also worth more than just 13 main vitamins, I’m supplied with over 25 vitamins and minerals in one dose.
Now, I don’t know much about what vitamins a male may need daily, besides the fact that after a certain age men shouldn’t take too much calcium, but women need a large amount of calcium. Our bones, breast and teeth are waged upon because we bear children. Calcium is needed to maintain our health before and after we start reproducing. Maybe the calcium statement is true for men, and maybe a calcium supplement may be bad for women who work on a dairy but most women do not get their daily value of calcium to help support their health.
Yes we should be getting our daily value of nutrients with everyday eating. But, I will admit that even I am too lazy to sit and think of a daily meal plan to satisfy my need of all the vitamins and minerals. The reason for that is to get the needed daily value will take precise shopping, cooking, ingredients (cooking most food drains the nutrients unless u steam) and measurements for months of meals if you don’t want a boring repetitive meal plan. Unless you’re a fanatic, I don’t see it happening. People like to plan ahead of time but the harder you make eating healthy the less likely people will make room in their lives for it. It’s just easier to eat something you know is healthy and miss out on a few vitamins here and there and have it supplied by a supplement. It’s better than skipping out on the needed amount altogether.
I honestly don’t know much about how our body is supposed to absorb vitamins. But to me, taking a good brand responsibly and watching what I eat here and their sound better to me that skipping out altogether. But no matter how I see it, vitamins are a personal choice, and that’s the way you choose to see them.
With all due respect.
Hi Jessica – I agree that it is better to supplement a diet that is very lacking in nutrients with a multi vitamin, rather than continuing to eat this limited diet alone. However, this is only masking the problem. It is far better to look at the limited diet and make some positive changes so that it becomes richer in nutrients.
I do not agree with the example you use of fast food restaurants and rat race employees justifying the use of a multi vitamin. It is just as quick if not quicker to eat a healthy sandwich, a salad or a piece of fruit that you have brought to work than it is to walk to the fast food restaurant, queue, pay and then eat the meal.
I also think that the daily meal plan that incorporates all the vitamins and minerals is is a bit of a misconception. Yes to actually sit down and check of every single vitamin and mineral would be hugely time consuming. However, I really don’t think this is necessary. If you do some reading on the subject you will realise that fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of most vitamins and minerals. If you just make sure your diet contains a variety of fruits and vegetables you should be getting most of your vitamins and minerals from these foods. Fruits are a perfect snack food whilst vegetables are pretty versatile and complement most meals.
Anyway, as you say vitamins are a personal choice. This article is my opinion on them and you have a different opinion. I would advise you to take a look at your diet but if that’s really not an option then multi vitamins are a good fallback.
Is it possible that too much multivitamin consumption can interfere with the body’s true defense mechanisms …??
Hey Jason – No I don’t think overdosing does this.